US gaming publication Nintendo Power has reviewed both Super Mario 3D Land for Nintendo 3DS and Rayman Origins for the Wii. Surprisingly Ubisoft’s Rayman Origins has scored higher than Nintendo’s very own Super Mario 3D Land. Here’s some of the details direct from Nintendo Power issue 273:

Super Mario 3D Land: 9/10

+Different and great styles of Mario platforming for everyone
+Great 3D

Rayman probably got more because of originality and innovation. Even if it’s an all-new platformer, SM3DL still uses similar graphics and concepts from the galaxy series. Although I am SUPER HYPED to pick up my pre-ordered copy of SM3DL, I see why Rayman Origins got (half a point) better.

Rayman Origins art style looks beautiful but I didn’t think it would top any Mario game as a platformer so it’s either Mario3DLand is not that good or its a twisted marketing scheme to push 3rd-party developers sales on the 3DS.

The same company that developed the casual money-maker Just Dance series and a galore of sucky multiplatform movie-based games can make a proper game? not to mention outshine a Mario title on a Nintendo portable system where the big N excels? I’m yet to find out, seems suspicious but I’ll probably give it a try.

Ubisoft also made the amazing Assassin’s Creed series, but on another note a 9/10 and 9.5/10 doesn’t mean that 3DLand is “not that good” or that it’s a “twisted marketing scheme to push 3rd-party developers sales on the 3DS”

My previous comment was referring Ubisoft games on Nintendo systems and I agree that 9/10 is a great score. However, provided both games fall in the same category and play style, the scores comparison surely does stir enough controversy to raise a few marketing-related questions.

Well its true about rayman origins, its a beautiful and amazing platform game. to be honest, super mario land 3D kinda looks like a rush job, but thats what you expect from a game thats bin in development since 2009-10. but its still looks like a great mario game, and probably the BEST one for handheld’s.

What kind of thing are the reviewers smoking these days. Having the advance moves being optional is something that is a minus to them. REALLY? NSMBWii and to a lesser extent Galaxy 2 never had a you can move forward in the game unless you do this.
Not very creative how?

Since Mario has to live up to his own legacy, it’s not surprising. It’s a great Mario game that everyone should buy, but it only lives to localize most of what’s come before to a portable device rather than push the series forward. Mind you it’s a great representation of what’s been achieved with Mario over the years, and it even takes Galaxy and sidescrolling concepts of level design back to a standard 3D Mario game, but it doesn’t do much more than that. It actually would have been perfect for his 25th Anniversary last year.

Rayman Origins, meanwhile, could be considered a grand realization for the series that pushes it forward by doing something different. While it draws on the original 2-D sidescrolling PSX game, it never limits itself with the past. Just as importantly, this affirms how well Ubisoft’s new UbiArt Framework…well, works. I really hope this set of tools deeply influences game presentation for years to come. It’s a pleasure to see that jaw-dropping surprise during Ubisoft’s E3 ’09 conference become the success I’d hoped for.

Both are great, that’s a given, but one successfully pushes the boundaries. Still, that earned .5 is a bit awkward. :P